


Memories like Rain

by lacewingss



Series: Inquisitor Nethra Lavellan [4]
Category: Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Drabble, F/M, Memories, Rain, Short & Sweet, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-24
Updated: 2015-07-24
Packaged: 2018-04-10 22:35:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4410395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lacewingss/pseuds/lacewingss
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Drabble prompt for the world petrichor - the smell after it rains/drying rain.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Memories like Rain

Nethra awoke to the pattering of rain on stone. It was a soft sound, gentle and calming, enough to cause her eyes to close once again. She lay in bed listening to the sound, warm under thick blankets and the heat that radiated from her lover's slumbering form.

Even the pleasant music of the rain couldn't still her mind for long, though. With only the faint whisper of her breath in and out, she slipped from the bed and moved to the balcony. It was still dark, the night still reigning. The rain clouds had obscured the moon and stars leaving the night in warm darkness. She stood there until the melody of the rain stopped, leaving silence in its place.

With light and sound diminished, Nethra's other senses heightened. It was then she noticed the scent that lingered in the air, fresh and pure. The rain had washed away the layer of grime and dust that coated much of the stronghold, replaced the foul smell of too many people with a clean breeze that seemed to emanate from all surfaces.

It had been too long since Nethra had been out after a rainfall. The crisp natural scent brought memories flooding back, as certain scents often do. Visions of Keerla and herself racing through wet underbrush swam before her eyes, tall trees dripping down onto the tips of their ears and laughing at how it tickled. She saw thousands of ripples form in the rivers as the rain pelted down, saw the sheet of water from the door flap of her tent.

Her heart felt near to breaking and delighted all at once. Those were days long past, likely never to be repeated. There was a comfort in that, but also a pain of loss.

“Nethra?” A voice from within the room, sleepy and muffled, called out. Her absence had been noted.

“I'm just outside, vehnan.”

A few heavy footfalls and Cullen was beside her, looking concerned and disheveled. He brought his arm around her shoulder, pulled her to his side and she could feel the heat of sleep radiate from him. “Is everything alright?”

“Yes.” Nethra continued to gaze out into the night, taking a deep breath of the fresh air once again. “Can you smell that?”

“The stables?” He asked, a puzzled look crossing his features. Nethra smiled; of course he would first notice the mundane, every day scents. That was his world, not the wild and roaming one that once belonged to her.

“No, the rain. It was raining and I-” She paused, her mind struggling to find the words to match the feelings. “Nevermind.” She reached up to press her lips to the line of his jaw, feeling the scratch of his stubble like grains of sand. She could explain to him what the scent meant to her; she could try to make him feel the things she felt. Her warm hearted knight would do all he could to understand, to make her memories real for the both of them. Something in her heart held her back, though. It gripped at her and begged to keep the memories to herself. She could make new ones with Cullen, ones they could experience together.

“It's still early. We should get some more sleep.” Her fingertips found his and held them gently as she led the way back to the bed. Once they were settled, her body pressed close to his, his arms wrapped around her in a protective embrace, Nethra could no longer smell the ghost of the rain. Her senses were filled with Cullen now - musky with the scent of his skin, sweet with the smell of his hair. One day she would remember this, too. The sensation of being close to him would rush back to her and fill her heart, just as the scent of the rain had done.


End file.
